The Fine Line Between Good and Evil
by ForeverFreelancer
Summary: Sequel to the Fine Line Between Right and Wrong: Sly has always been a thief, and has always had his gang. Now he has a family too. And when a shady gang of peculiar criminals emerges, it will send this master thief, his gang, and his family on a whole new adventure to put a stop to whatever they're planning, all the while being pursued by Interpol's newest Inspector.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello all! And welcome to the second installment in my Fine Line series. You guys excited? I'm excited to write it for you. We're picking up five years after the first story. This time around we'll be seeing a lot more action and adventure and be traveling to more places, as opposed to last time where we just went to Italy. And of course, there will be fluff and romance, and perhaps some drama. I'm hard at work weaving this story together to ensure most of you will enjoy it. More heists and villains, I may struggle with writer's block along the way but it'll be worth it. _

_Alright. On with the sequel!_

* * *

Chapter 1 Dawn of an Uprising

* * *

Rain pelted the ground in loud splatters, the sudden downpour an annoyance to the coyote as he thrust open the car door on the driver's side. He glared up at the sky that spanned over the secluded forest he was now in. The night sky resembled an angry black hole, the swirling clouds seeming to funnel, lightning flashing and thunder crashing adding to the ominous atmosphere.

The coyote pulled his coat tighter around him as harsh gusts of wind whipped through the clearing. He shielded his face with one hand as he stared up at the lofty log cabin straight ahead, wondering if he'd come to the right place.

As soon as he stepped out of his car, the sole of his boots met with thick glops of mud. The canine scowled as he slammed the door shut and shook his feet free of the thick mud with every stride he took until he reached the porch of the large log cabin. Once he'd reached the door, he repeatedly wiped his feet on the welcome mat until the majority of the mud was gone. Using his knuckles he knocked to let the inhabitants of the cabin know their guest had arrived.

More wind whipped by and he clamped his hands on his upper arms. Several moments passed, and then the door slowly opened. Standing there was a lavishly dressed feline. Her chartreuse eyes glowed as she acknowledged the canine at the door.

The coyote had to stop himself from gawking back at her. He had never seen anything like her before in his life. She seemed to have multiple fur patterns, ranging from leopard to Bengal tiger to cheetah. Her stripes were deep violet and her spots a dark cerulean blue. While her base color was mostly a pure white, there were hints of pink to it as well. Her hair was a soft blonde with streaks of hot pink in it.

He was stunned speechless by the creature in front of him, not by her beauty, but by how peculiar she looked to him. Just what kind of cat was she supposed to be?

The petite feline stared at him almost invasively, her eyes roaming his body. She blinked once and then turned to look over her shoulder. "He's here," she informed the others. She pushed the door open further, a courteous smile gracing her unique features. "Please come in sir," she said to him.

The coyote thanked her and followed her inside the warm and inviting cabin. She led him through the great room and around the corner to the adjoining room. There, three more creatures sat at a rectangular table. A thin male chameleon and a female avian. By her feather type, it was clear the avian was some sort of falcon.

Sitting between the chameleon and avian was a tall spider. How his lean torso slowly melted into a fearsome arachnid's body would have made Alfonso shudder in fear, if it weren't for the fact that he was a hardened criminal and didn't scare so easily.

"So glad you could join us, Mr. De Luca," the arachnid greeted him in a courteous tone, crossing two sets of his spindly spider legs. He used his right hand to wordlessly gesture to the last open seat that they'd reserved for him.

"Thank you," the coyote responded as politely as he could manage, removing his drenched coat and placing it in his lap as he sat down.

"Oh you're most welcome," the spider replied. "We should be thanking you, Alfonso. After all, it isn't every day we find a new ally who wants to help us in our vindictive efforts against Coopers."

The coyote clenched his fists tightly as a growl rumbled in his throat. His fur, though still damp, bristled up and stood on end. He spoke slowly through gritted teeth. "If there's one thing I'm after here, it's revenge on that slanderin', swindlin'…sorry little son of a bitch, Sly Cooper."

"Has he done a personal wrong to you, or this more a monetary matter?" the feline's voice inquired in a rich alto.

"Might as well be both!" the coyote snarled out. Trying to control his temper, he took a deep breath and dug his fingers into his matted head fur, exhaling shakily.

"Tell us Mr. De Luca," the spider urged as he offered his guest a cup of tea. "What has he done to you?"

The canine took it and thanked him. He remained calm though anger burned bright in his gaze. "I lost _everything_. All because of him! I had twenty years' worth of what my boys and I collected, in that safe, there was millions in that thing! _Millions_! I had the world at my fingertips!" He clenched a trembling fist and raised it in front of his face. "Everything was in reach, I had it all. Girls, cars, an entire network of dealers at my beck and call to supply me with any drug I wanted, you name it. And then that…disgusting little rat broke in and stole ever last bit of cash. As if that wasn't enough, he left me and my team with a little parting gift before he took off." He pinched his thumb and middle finger together. "A little bomb that could fit in my hand. Wiped out ten of my men. Ten." His thumb and forefinger still touching, he swiftly snapped them together. "Gone. Just like that."

"And did you receive that steel optical implant from the encounter as well?" the spider asked.

Alfonso closed his one fully biological eye as he ran his fingers over the cold texture of the steel optic 'eye' he now had. "Yes…my personal souvenir," he stated, as if he were making a joke, but there was no humor to be found in his grim tone. He raised his head and glanced around at the other four. "But, honestly, as freaked out as I was about getting this thing at first, after I got it…" He lifted his gaze, scanning the lavish room of the cabin. He tapped a button on his optic, focusing the infrared beam that was where his iris and pupil once were on a distant point on the ceiling, able to see every small indentation and particle of dust that happened to be on the wooden beams above. "Now I can see everything so clear…damn near freaked me out when I woke up after surgery." He sipped the warm beverage he'd been given.

The feline slowly nodded her head, her green eyes focused on the coyote. "So this replacement optic has vastly improved your field of vision."

He nodded to her, readjusting the lens to regular focus. "Had it for four and a half years now, and despite lookin' like some kind of freak of nature to everyone else, it's a mighty nice replacement eye."

The spider ran a slender finger along the rim of his cup of tea. "It will serve you well whilst completing future tasks you'll be helping us accomplish when up against Interpol," he informed him. "As will your physical strength and temper, channeled properly of course. Don't worry, we'll train you in that field."

"It was a wonderful investment on your part. Everyone could use a little enhancement, technological or genetic. Why keep what you have when you can obtain something better?" the avian asked him, followed by nods of agreement from the other members.

Alfonso, a coyote who didn't have much going for him as far as mental capacity, simply shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does," the spider replied, his voice so calm and relaxed.

"All I'm after here is the ultimate payback against Cooper, his gang, anyone he's involved with. I want him to regret ever stepping foot on my turf and taking what took me half my life to get."

"I assure you, you'll have the revenge you desire," the arachnid said, his pedipalp fingers clasped together in an almost bored fashion. "Sly Cooper will pay for what he's done, one way…or another."

Alfonso scratched his head and looked around to the gang members. "So…if you don't mind me askin'…is there any special reason you guys use a cabin in the woods as your hideout?"

"What were you expecting?" came the slick voice of the chameleon. The thin reptile leaned back in his chair and slowly crossed his arms as a smirk formed on his lips. "A secret underwater lair? Perhaps one inside an active volcano?"

The four gang members laughed lightly, as Alfonso's ears lowered in chagrin.

"We have many points all over the world where we meet up, which location we meet at depends on which is the most convenient for the majority of us at the given time."

"Oh," was all the coyote replied back with.

The chameleon grasped a small spherical device near the center of the table. He flipped a compartment on the side of it open, typing a code with his dexterous fingers. After typing out the code, he lightly slid the device back to the center.

A bright orb of light formed and hovered over the sphere. The orb glowed bright azure and rose a few inches higher in the air before it transformed into a transparent screen.

The spider lifted his oddly curved hand and touched the screen, bringing up an array of files and images.

"Alfonso," the spider addressed him.

"Yes?"

He eyed him with a stoic expression as he began to sift through files and photos on the screen. "So that you're absolutely clear, once you are involved with the Slascherr Gang, you'll be indebted to us for the remainder of your life…"

Alfonso merely smirked and leaned back in his chair. "I was in the mafia. I know a thing or two about runnin' around with gangs."

"And," the spider continued, his black and gold eyes glowing eerily as he glanced up at the Italian canine, "betrayal to our gang is punishable by death."

Alfonso was given piercing stares of intimidation by the other four, but with a grave look, he nodded. "Yea…yes, yes I understand."

"Wonderful." The spider's long fingers drummed along the tabletop as he smiled in excitement. He then returned to scanning the screen in front of him. He searched the multiple internet files displayed before him. "I think you'll find that joining us will be the most rewarding choice you could have made, Mr. De Luca."

"Your first assignment will be aiding us in retrieving an item by means of purloining," the avian spoke up.

Having never heard the word before, the coyote's bushy brows furrowed over his eyes. "Purloining?" he repeated.

"As in steal," the avian girl further explained, her massive wings ruffling at her sides.

"Oh." Alfonso ran his fingers through his coarse, matted head fur. "Right, sure, you got it." He looked to his new allies cautiously. "What are we gonna be stealing?"

In answer to his question, the spider continued scouring through files, suddenly stopping at a particular link. He pressed the screen with an eager finger, and a 3-D model of a solid block appeared on the screen. His eyes widened and his smile grew, revealing his fangs.

"Yes. There it is. The Kairos Prism."

* * *

Across the globe, in his home of the city off the coast, Le Havre France, it was currently 8 in the morning, and Rascal Cooper was being chased.

The young foxcoon sprinted wildly down the hallways, his pursuer hot on his trail. He rounded corners at blinding speeds, not concerned at this point if he broke that very expensive vase his father had stolen after lightly knocking it with his tail as he ran by. It rocked back and forth, but luckily didn't fall over.

Rascal breathed in short gasps as he ran, and the young boy cried out as he tripped over something. He stumbled to the floor, glaring down at the toy truck that he held personally responsible for causing the hindrance to his escape. Even though it was his own doing, for he'd left out in the hallway after playing with it before bed last night.

His pursuer now closer than ever, Rascal's mahogany eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet. He darted down the upstairs hallway that seemed to drag on for miles. But he couldn't give in and let the enemy catch him. He just had to get to his parents' room and he'd be safe.

He quickly looked over his shoulder. The gap between them was far too close for comfort. He swiftly whipped his head back around, facing straight ahead. And perfect timing too, for a second later, and he would've run smack into the door at the end of the hallway.

He stood on his tiptoes, struggling to reach the doorknob to that very door. The door to his parents' room. Where he'd be safe. He just had to get inside.

A victorious feeling overtook him as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Like a bolt of lightning, he rocketed across the room and clambered up the side of the bed. He lifted the thick comforter to reveal a rather large bushy ringed tail. He grabbed the end of it and climbed up it like a rope, bringing forth a sleepy groan of protest from the adult raccoon it belonged to. But that didn't stop the little Rascal. He climbed up his father's back and up close to his face. He then nestled up next to him under the covers. "Dad! Dad she's chasing me again!" he said, trying to catch his breath. With his small fists, he grabbed at his dad's t-shirt, trying to shake him awake. "Daddy!"

"Mmmm?" Sly asked, his eyes still closed. "Who is?"

As an answer to his question, the 'she' Rascal was referring to ran in: his kit sister, Callista. She scurried up and peeked over her parents' bedside, her fox ears swiveling.

Rascal curled up into a ball against Sly's chest. "Hide me," he whispered.

"Why are you hiding from your sister?" a still half-asleep Sly asked his son.

"I just wanted to play with you, big brother," Callista pouted softly, poking her lip out.

A chuckle sounded from Sly as he opened one eye and looked over at his three-year-old daughter, her silky red and blue curls nearly reaching her shoulders now. He smiled down at her. "Awww is your brother running away from you, sweetheart?"

"Calli was trying to make me have a tea party with her and her plushies!" Rascal whined, his nose crinkling. "That's icky girly stuff." He stuck his tongue out in disgust.

Sly's lips just barely pulled up into a small smirk. He yawned and turned over to face his daughter. He smiled sleepily at her as she peeked over the bedside, just the tiniest bit too short to climb up on her own yet. He leaned over and held his arms out to her. "C'mere my angel," he said to her.

She jumped into his arms and he laughed as he pulled her up onto the bed, placing her on his chest. She snuggled up to him happily, her auburn and black ringed tail flicking back and forth.

Sly kissed the top of her head and ruffled her hair. His eyes barely cracked open, he whispered to her, "Shouldn't you still be in bed?" he joked with a smile.

She giggled and shook her head, her curls swaying with the abrupt movement. "Nu-uh Daddy, I'm not sleepy no more!"

"Well I _am_," he said to her, his eyes beginning to shut. "Think I'll snooze a little longer."

"Daaady," the two kits whined in unison.

"No, don't go back to sleep Dad," Rascal pleaded, tugging his arm with a frown.

"Yea Daddy, you gotta wake up now," Callista told him, tugging his other arm.

"Mm," he mumbled, looking as if he was quickly falling back asleep.

The two foxcoon kits crawled on top of him, pulling at the fabric of his blue t-shirt, to no avail.

Callista looked to her brother. "I think he falled asleep again," she mumbled.

Just then, Sly's eyes snapped open and he lunged forward with a loud growl. The two kits screamed in reaction. The raccoon father pinned them down in a playful manner and proceeded to tickle them.

They squealed and giggled loudly, but were no match for their father. All they could do was giggle and squirm as he tickled them mercilessly.

When he figured they'd had all they could take, he stopped tickling and wrapped them in a hug. "Alright, you kiddos, I'm up, now give me a chance to wake Mommy up and we'll be right down."

"Ok!" they chirped. They shimmied off the large bed and hopped off, running to the door.

"C'mon Calli," Rascal said to her, and she followed quickly behind.

Sly watched them leave, listening as the two kits bounded down the stairs, their little voices growing softer and softer.

When he could no longer hear anything outside of the bedroom, he stretched his arms high above his head with another lengthy yawn. He then turned on his side and inched over to the cocoon of blankets. Somewhere within this cocoon of blankets and sheets lay his sleeping wife, Carmelita. Or, Carmelita Montoya Cooper, to be more precise. Even to this day, there were times Sly couldn't believe she really was married to him, and was all his. But he'd look down at the wedding band on his finger and could only smile and shake his head.

After all they'd been through together, after the dangers they'd faced and rendezvous they'd shared, after traveling the world in pursuit of what they each felt was right, they'd finally found their way into each other's' hearts, which couldn't have felt more right for either of them.

Of course, it didn't start out like the dream come true it was now. In the beginning, Constable Cooper had a small moment of weakness that could've destroyed his relationship with the love of his life permanently.

For a while it did, and it didn't seem like there was any way to fix what he'd done.

His saving grace came in the form of a baby, his first born son, Rascal.

Carmelita knew without a shadow of a doubt, that she'd always loved Sly and had an intimate connection with him. But putting aside something as heavily engrained as her black and white views on the law was just not something she could do. An Inspector was simply who she was, and a thief was who Sly was. He couldn't just walk away from who he was either.

It was while Carmelita carried Rascal that she realized that what she shared with Sly was so much more important than a rendezvous here and there, chases, and flirty chit-chat. Now her own flesh and blood was involved. And she didn't have it in her to tell her son he couldn't be like his own father. Becoming a mother had changed her, for good.

The lines had blurred, and she'd finally seen that what Sly and his gang did for a living wasn't truly criminal after all.

But if she were to tear apart her own family, that _would_ be criminal. So instead of forcing Sly to conform and be what she wanted him to be, she joined him in his efforts.

And the day she'd told Sly she'd become a thief for the sake of keeping their family whole was truly one of the happiest days of his life, right up there with his wedding day and the day Rascal was born.

Five years later they were still blissfully in love, and now had three kits. Three beautiful little foxcoons, each one possessing some traits from both their raccoon father and vixen mother.

Sly slipped his arms around his sleeping wife and began to kiss the back of her head. He ran his nose through her curly cobalt blue locks of hair. With gentle fingers, he pushed a few locks away from her neck, and lowered his head, running his nose through the fur on the back of her neck.

Carmelita shivered from the cold contact of his nose on her neck and mumbled quietly.

Sly took a deep inhale of her scent as his hands roamed over her waist. He started placing kisses on her cheek and shoulder, only to have her groan and feebly shove him away. "Mmnh!" she mumbled.

A grin spreading across his muzzle, he chuckled and continued to kiss her despite her soft grumbles. "Mon amour," he said between kisses. "I don't know if you're aware, but our kids are awake." Another kiss planted on her shoulder. "It's time for us to be good parents and greet the day with them."

"Mmh-mmhh," Carmelita mumbled in objection, pulling the covers up over her.

Sly snickered, embracing her closely from behind. "Oh yes," he whispered. "Come on, Mrs. Cooper."

Carmelita yawned and then rolled over so that she was facing him. Her brown eyes focused on his, she gave him a sleepy smile and nuzzled her face into his chest. "I can't have just five more minutes?"

Sly smiled back at her deviously, his eyebrow arched. "Well," he said as he sifted his fingers through her sea of blue hair. "It depends on what you want to use those five minutes for."

She grinned back at him, the end of her muzzle scrunched in amusement. She linked her arms around his neck and meshed her lips with his in a tender good morning kiss.

The kiss didn't last very long, for several moments later, the whining of an infant could be heard down the hall.

They parted from their kiss, though their lips still touched.

Their breathing intermingled, Sly whispered, "Sounds like Robbie's up."

"Roberto," Carmelita corrected.

Sly gave her an 'oh come on now' smirk, and in response she narrowed her eyes.

"You promised at least one of our children could have a Spanish name," she reminded him with a stern frown.

Tilting his head innocently, he asked, "Isn't Callista Spanish?"

"It's Greek," she retorted flatly.

He laughed and stroked her cheek, his eyes harboring that playful gleam as he looked at her, one of his traits she adored about him.

"I know," said Sly, "and we can call him Roberto, just, later, when he's older...like sixteen."

She responded with a disgruntled roll of her eyes.

He grinned and shifted so he was lying atop her, his tail swishing about before he rested it atop hers. He placed a kiss on her nose, nuzzling her cheek. "Oh come on babe, you know Robbie's a cute nickname for him right now. It really fits him well, it sounds so sweet and innocent."

Carmelita snorted a short laugh. "He's not totally innocent you know…he's taking after you in the mischief department."

Sly's smug expression told her that he was incredibly proud of that small fact. "Yep. He's learning early."

Carmelita laughed, smiling up at him, and as Robbie's whining grew louder, she resolved that it wasn't even worth arguing over.

He kissed her crimson lips, and they brushed noses.

"Ok, I'll get breakfast started if you go get…Robbie," she told him.

The bright grin returning to his face, he pecked her on the cheek, "You got it, beautiful," he murmured.

He rolled over so she could get up. He watched as she arched her back, stretching her arms out in front of her, and slipped off the bed. His eyes followed his lovely vixen as she left room and headed down the hallway, watching her hips sway, her auburn tail flicking and swishing with each step she took. If she only knew how wild she drove him with an action as minor as walking.

He stretched his arms and legs, hearing his joints pop, and he leaped off his cozy bed. He walked down the hall, stopping at the door where the small cries were emanating from.

He opened the door and stepped into Robbie's room, a small nursery with walls of a light blue hue and stuffed animals in nearly every corner the room had to offer. To the far right of the nursery stood a fair-sized wooden crib. And peeking over the side of that crib was little Robbie, small tears falling from his bright blue eyes. He was whining as he reached out for his father, his hands as high in the air as he could lift them.

Sly walked over and picked him up. "Well hello there," he said as he wiped away his tears. He lifted him up in the air and smiled at him. "You didn't think Daddy would just leave you in here, now did you?"

Now out of the confinements of his crib and in his dad's grasp, Robbie squealed in delight, the features on his masked face filled with joy. Sly brought him closer, touching noses with him. "Good morning," he said to him in a warm voice.

Robbie smiled and buried his face into Sly's chest, babbling away.

Sly held him securely to his chest and planted a kiss on the tuft of fur atop his small head. In response, Robbie cooed and beamed up at him.

It was almost eerie, how Robbie so closely resembled Sly's own father. He looked exactly like him.

Well, almost.

The bushy solid gray tail he possessed was a fox tail, no rings to be seen on it, a trait from his mother. Excluding his tail, he looked like a full-blooded raccoon.

But ringed tail or not, he was still Sly's son. And Sly loved him more than he'd ever know.

* * *

Downstairs, Carmelita was flipping pancakes, half-singing, half-humming a song in Spanish. With Callista on her hip, she used her free hand to flip the first pancake onto the plate by the stove and pour the last bit of batter onto the pan.

"Mommy, can I taste the batter?" Callista asked. "Please?"

Carmelita grinned down at her. "Alright, but just a little taste."

"Can I have some too Momma?" asked another small voice.

The blue-haired vixen looked to her other side to see Rascal, giving an innocent, hopeful smile as he hugged her leg.

"Of course, just not too much, ok?"

She spooned the very last bit of batter out of the mixing bowl and let each kit taste it. And then with a playful smile she dipped her finger into the spoonful of batter and dotted it on their noses, which made them start giggling.

"Mom!" they said through their laughter.

At that moment, Sly was walking downstairs, carrying his youngest in his arms. His ears twitched while he listened to the kitchen fill with laughter. He peeked around the doorway of their cozy kitchen to see Carmelita wiping bits of batter off Rascal and Callista's faces. Then she scooped them both up and cuddled them close, peppering their faces with tiny kisses.

Sly leaned against the doorway leading to the kitchen, that loving smile crossing his gray muzzle. All those years they'd played cat and mouse, he'd always looked on her with a deep fondness and admiration. He'd always felt like he had a true connection with her.

And now, he looked upon her with a new and wonderful kind of fondness, for now she wasn't only his lover, but was now his wife.

And the mother of his children.

As Carmelita put the two down so they could run off and play in the living room, she noticed Sly at the doorway, just watching her from a distance.

"There's my other two boys!" she greeted them as she poked at the sizzling strips of bacon in the pan on the back burner.

Sly walked up to her and she bent down to tickle her baby's cheek with her finger. "Did you sleep good sweetie?" she asked the baby foxcoon.

As an answer to her question, Robbie rubbed at his eyes and sighed.

Sly made his way over to the cupboard and got out a jar of baby food. He carried Robbie into the breakfast nook and placed him in his high chair. "There we go buddy," said Sly as he rubbed the infant kit's ears.

Once Carmelita appeared around the corner with a full plate of pancakes and syrup and set them on the table, Sly headed into the living room for the remaining little Coopers.

Callista was chasing Rascal around the coffee table, both out of breath from running and laughing as they rushed around in circles like race cars speeding around a track.

"Alright kiddos, calm it down, time to eat," their father told them.

Without any warning, Rascal dashed over and leaped into Sly's arms. Taken off guard, Sly would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for his swift reflexes. He smirked down at his son. "Oh so I'm supposed to carry you the short distance to the table, is that it?" he joked with him lightly.

With a wide grin, Rascal nodded several times. "Mhm!" he said.

Sly snorted a laugh and swung him up onto his shoulders. Young Callista walked at her father's side.

Sly's ears suddenly perked to the ringing of his cell phone, coming from upstairs in his bedroom. He looked down at Rascal and placed him in the nearest chair. "I'll be right back, guys," he said to his family before turning and bounding up the stairs.

He ran into his room and swiped his phone off of his nightstand. A toothy grin adorning his face, he pressed the 'accept call' button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sly!" the nasally voice replied. "It's been a while."

"Sure has Bent! Man, how've you been?"

"Good, really good actually. Penelope and I have been making lots of progress on studies we've made in the lab, and she loves the new house. It looks right off the coast, we're practically always at the beach, and the view from the house is stunning, I must admit."

"That's awesome pal! That's so great to hear." It was hard for Sly to believe that it had been 4 years now since the gang had split up. They weren't split up in any permanent way, but after living together, the three couples realized they all desired a bit of space. Besides, Sly and Carmelita had a family to raise.

He wondered how Murray and Tabby were doing after they'd moved to San Marino.

"How are things on your end?" Bentley asked, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Things here are great too man. Carmelita's been homeschooling the kids and I've been job hunting a little, just to keep from raising suspicion from our nosy neighbors."

They both laughed.

"Smart move," Bentley remarked. "Well listen, the reason I called is because I have something really important to tell you, regarding the development of the time machine."

"Oh?" the raccoon asked. "I'm all ears."

"Well I'll spare you the more intricate explanations and complex terminology of our findings and get right to the point. We may have found a proper power source for the time machine."

"Really? Wow, that's great Bent! What is it, and how're you gonna get it?"

"Well, see that's the thing," the turtle answered. "That's what I need your help with Sly. If we're going to retrieve it, we're going to have to steal it."

"Steal?" Sly asked, a frown clouding his features.

There was a short pause. "Correct. You see, the device I've been researching is called the Kairos Prism, an iridescent gem in the shape of a perfect prism. The power contained within it is said to be so powerful, it's apparently been around for centuries, used for an array of different things, but its power has never been used to its full potential. I believe with its molecular makeup, it has the capabilities of creating a wormhole to use for time travel. And according to the backlog report I have here, it's being transported to the museum in Le Havre this very weekend."

There was another pause.

"Sly…is something the matter?"

Sly ran a hand through his disheveled head fur and sat down on his side of the bed. "Well…no, not really. It's just…I haven't stolen in _years _Bentley. I mean, pickpocketing along and along, sure, but it's just been so long since I've been out on a real heist." He bit his lip. "I might be a little rusty."

"Ah nonsense," his friend stated in disagreement. "You can handle it, I know you can. It's a very simple lift, just go in, grab it, and jump through the nearest open window, like always. I'll take care of the security system and all that, and we can round up Murray to ensure a fast getaway."

Sly smiled, a small chuckle resonating in his chest. "Ah, good ole' Murray." He really did miss his hippo friend.

"It'll be just like old times," Sly mused in a murmur.

"Exactly! So, can I count on you? This prism may be the crucial piece we've been after this whole time."

Sly rubbed his chin and nodded. "Yea…yea I'm in, you know you can always count on me. Just…"

"Just what, Sly?" Bentley prompted after a few moments.

Sly rubbed at the back of his neck hesitantly, listening to his children laughing and talking with Carmelita downstairs. "I just wanna make sure this is all we have to do, I don't wanna get involved in anything bigger than this one small heist, alright pal? Not right now anyway. Carm and I have our kids to look after."

"I promise Sly," Bentley said to him. "This is the only thing you have to do. After getting the prism for me, you won't have to get involved in anything bigger."

His lips pressed together tightly, Sly nodded. "Alright, I'll do it."

Little did Bentley know that they would all in fact be thrown into the conglomeration of something bigger than a museum heist.

Much bigger.

* * *

_And it begins. _

_Oh, if you kept up with the Galleth fic and remember that Robbie originally had raccoon tail, know it's not a mistake that he's got a fox tail, I was still tossing around ideas for the Cooper kids around the time I wrote chapter one, now he's got a fox tail and that's how it'll stay, promise. Just didn't want you guys to think I'm getting sloppy with my details. _

_One thing I thought I'd bring up, to any fans of this series out there who may be interested, is that I have a few drawings of Rascal Calli and Robbie, and if you'd like to see them I'll be posting them to a tumblr I've created very soon. Link is in my profile. _

_See you guys next chapter! _


	2. Chapter 2 Shocked to Meet You Here

_I can't tell you how sorry I am this update is so late, I was hoping to get this out a few days after playing through Thieves in Time. That definitely did not happen and I apologize to anyone out there who's been waiting for chapter 2. I hit a bit of writer's block, I get it frequently now, unfortunately, and there's a lot going on right now in my life, but enough of my ramblings, let's get to it! _

_You guys, you seriously have no idea how much I appreciate all your support so far, you're all amazing! You're the ones who keep me writing. :) Hope I can keep you all excited with what I have planned! Thank you to every single person who reviewed, faved, and is following._

* * *

Chapter 2 Shocked to Meet You Here

* * *

Sly opened the door to his walk-in closet he shared with Carmelita. He walked past the rack of evening gowns and tuxedos they'd each acquired over the years, stepping over the dozens of pairs of shoes tossed carelessly onto the carpet, making his way to the very back. He knelt down and opened the bottom drawer of a small chifferobe in the corner of the closet. Reaching in, he pulled out his treasured cerulean blue sweater with the yellow collar, along with his thieving belt, his trusty leg pouch, and his backpack.

After finding his blue boots, he put the full outfit on, smiling at how the belt still fit just right around his lean waist. Parenthood may have domesticated him, but he'd made sure he kept maintaining his physique a top priority. After all, he had only been on vacation from thieving, not a full-blown retirement from it.

He opened the door to the chifferobe and pulled out the Cooper cane. He gripped it in his hands and flipped it over, running two fingers along the metal hook.

He was heading out his bedroom door but before he left, he glanced at himself in the mirror on the wall, setting his cane down before turning back to the mirror and smoothing out the wrinkles on his sweater. He stared at the fit and handsome raccoon looking back at him with a smug smile, but his smile faded as he noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes and the somewhat scruffy goatee he now sported. He turned his head to study it from a different angle, smoothing the rough strands of fur, his smile now melting into a serious frown. He pressed down on the skin beneath his eyes, examining the deep circles more closely.

Though looking young as ever from the neck down, his face told a slightly different story.

It wasn't a drastic change, just something he was finally beginning to notice as time went by. It was something no one else would've noticed, a minuscule change to his facial features.

It was _very_ noticeable to him however, not that he'd ever dare to show it.

He simply shrugged it off, giving himself a final once-over. Then he picked his cane up off the bed and headed out the door.

Once back downstairs, he rounded the corner of the front hallway, entering the living room to see the rest of his family. Rascal was lounging on the soft carpet, lying on his stomach, building a castle out of Lego pieces, kicking his small feet in the air back and forth as he dug around in the bucket for another piece. Ever since Sly had told him about his knightly ancestor, Sir Galleth, he'd been obsessed with knights and sword fights and dragon-guarded castles.

Callista sat cross-legged on the carpet, scribbling away in a coloring book.

Carmelita was sitting on the couch to the left, feeding Robbie the last of his bottle of milk when she looked up and noticed Sly at the doorway.

He smiled and jerked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the front door. "I'm about to head out," he said to her. "Bentley told me to meet them in a more secluded area, we're meeting up in an alley several blocks away."

She stood up, securing her hold on the tiny kit, whose eyes were drooping closed, and walked over to Sly with a concerned expression.

"Please be careful," she told him, her chestnut eyes glinting with worry.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Babe, I told you, I'll be fine, swear. It's not even a complex heist or anything, I'm just going there to steal the prism for Bentley. Murray's gonna drive us there, Bentley's hacking into the security system to make sure we don't alert any cops that might be on patrol at the Le Havre Museum. And besides even if anything _were_ to go wrong, you know I'm too quick, mentally and physically, for anyone out there who would even dare to try to catch me."

She frowned up at him. "You've been caught before…" she mumbled, her gaze drifting down to the sleepy foxcoon in her arms.

He put a finger to her chin, making her look up at him. "I'll be careful, I promise, don't worry about me, nothing's gonna go wrong, alright?"

She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright," she answered.

He gripped her chin and pulled her face up to his, placing a kiss on her soft lips.

The parents heard their oldest son make a disgusted noise from across the room, and they both laughed against each other's lips.

Sly felt a tiny hand on his chest and looked down to his half-asleep infant son looking up at him. Sly glanced down at the little kit's full tummy and chuckled. "Well someone's gonna sleep good tonight, huh?" he joked, tapping Robbie on his nose.

Robbie's grip on the now empty bottle loosened and he nestled his head against Carmelita's chest while he babbled drowsily. The foxcoon began feebly pawing at his father's fingertip when Sly tickled him on his small nose with it, uttering a few sleepy grunts.

Callista jumped up from her spot on the carpet and raced over, encircling her arms around Sly's leg, hugging it tightly. "Bye Daddy!" she said to him in a cheerful voice. "Mommy telled us you won't be home in time to read us a story before bed, so just come say night night when you come home, ok?"

He grinned and picked her up. "You got it angel, don't you worry I'll be back home before you know it! And I'll read you two stories tomorrow night to make up for it, ok?"

"Ok!" she cheered, wrapping her arms around his neck. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, which made her giggle softly, and he put her down so she could get back to her coloring.

Rascal then ran over to his dad and threw his little arms around Sly's waist. In response Sly picked him up and hoisted him onto his hip. Sly waited a moment for Rascal to tell him goodbye, but instead he said nothing to him.

Sly frowned. "You're not gonna say bye to me, little guy?" he asked him.

Rascal shook his head. "Nope!"

Sly looked down at him in hurt and confusion. "Why not?"

Rascal squirmed out of his hold and jumped down, racing for the front door. "'Cause I'm going with you!" he answered excitedly.

Sly walked over and picked him back up with a chuckle. "Oh no no no, not so fast bud. You gotta start getting ready for bed soon. I might be out a little late, you'll have to stay here 'til I get back. Besides, the museum after hours is a dangerous place for a little kid like you."

Rascal's ears fell. "But Dad," he whined in a small voice. "I wanna go too. I wanna help you and Uncle Murray and Uncle Bentley steal that prism thing."

Sly smiled down at him, tousling his russet head fur. "I'm really happy that you wanna help me out buddy, but I think it'd be best if you stayed here with Mommy and your brother and sister until I get back."

Rascal's head dropped, his gaze lowering to his feet, his small lower lip threatening to start quivering.

Sly glanced up at Carmelita who had a look of sympathy for her little boy on her face. They both hated seeing their children upset.

With a warm smile, Sly placed his hands on his son's shoulders and knelt down in front of him. "Hey, c'mon Ras, you're helping me more than you know by doing this. If both me and you are gone, who's gonna look after and protect Mommy and Calli and Robbie while we're gone?"

Rascal thought that over, his feet shuffling back and forth against the carpet. His lips were pressed together tightly in consideration, and after a few moments, he came to realize his dad had a good point.

"I'm counting on you to be the man of the house and protect them while I'm out, and that's a really important job," Sly told him.

The little kit's tail swayed slowly while contemplating his dad's words. He wanted to go, wanted to be part of the action. But if his younger siblings and his mom really needed him here to look after them…

"And," Sly said, his voice breaking through Rascal's thoughts, "I'll make it up to you by taking you out to the park tomorrow. Just me and you."

Rascal's ears shot up in excitement. "Really?"

Sly nodded with a smile. "You bet! And we can go out for ice cream too."

Truth be told, he really would rather come along, but with a trip to the park on the line, Rascal finally nodded his head, agreeing to stay home willingly. "Ok Daddy."

Sly wrapped his arms around him and hugged him close. "Alright! I knew I could count on you little guy!"

Rascal smiled as he nestled his small head against Sly's chest, tiny giggles escaping his lips when Sly picked him up and swung him around in a circle, making his laughter even louder.

After Sly set him down, Rascal hugged his leg. "Love you," he told him. And in response, Sly reached down with an adoring smile and mussed his head fur.

"Love you too buddy. I'll see ya in just a bit, and be back in time to tuck you in, promise."

As his five-year-old son dashed over to the other side of the living room to resume building his Lego castle, Sly twirled his cane in one gloved hand, waving one last time, walking into the foyer. "Au revoir, me famille," he called to them, twisting the knob of the front door and swinging it open before leaping off the porch, and into the shadows.

Carmelita continued to stare at the door long after he'd left, worry lines forming on her forehead. He'd told her that there was no need to be overly concerned about him, but that certainly wouldn't just cause the worry she harbored for him to simply vanish into thin air. Even though this was just a snatch and grab, something she was confident that he could execute with minimal effort, she felt uneasy regardless, her stomach twisting in small knots. But she tried to push the apprehensive feelings out of her mind, telling herself he'd be just fine. Because, of course, he would be.

Wouldn't he?

"Mommy I colored you this!"

Carmelita shook herself from her current troubling thoughts and looked down at her daughter standing at the edge of the couch in front of her. The young kit climbed up, struggling a bit at first, but eventually wriggled her small body onto the couch next to her mother and proudly presented the page she'd ripped out of her coloring book to her. On the page was a flower, its petals and stem both scribbled onto with a bright shade of blue, as blue was currently her favorite color.

Carmelita smiled brightly. "It's beautiful, baby, thank you!" the vixen squealed animatedly. She set the page down on the side table to her right and extended her free arm to her daughter, who happily crawled over and cuddled close to her, laying her head down on her mother's lap. With two of her three children on the cozy couch with her, Carmelita felt more at ease, her anxiety fading while in the loving company of her little angels.

* * *

Several streets down, on his way to meet up with his gang members, Sly was clearing the gap of the final rooftop. Biting down securely on his metal cane, he climbed down the fire escape ladder and leaped off the lowest railing, landing adroitly on top of a small mound of trash bags that absorbed the majority of the impact of his fall. He glanced around the narrow alley, confused at not seeing the team van, so he pulled his binocucom from his backpack and contacted his turtle friend.

"Bentley? I'm here, but...I don't see you guys anywhere," Sly told him.

"Well that's 'cause we're not quite there yet," Bentley answered. "However, we're approaching your position at this very moment, and we'll be there in approximately t-minus four, three, two—"

Bentley's voice was drowned out by the roar of the van's engine as it sped into view on the other side of the alley. Sly climbed the chain link fence and jumped down onto the sidewalk, dashing over to the door on the passenger side of the vehicle. Before he could reach the handle, the door swung open, revealing his hippo friend in the driver's seat, who gave Sly a huge grin, waving at him. "Jump in little buddy!" he shouted in excitement.

The staff of his cane resting on his shoulder, Sly smiled and hopped into the van, slamming the door shut behind him. Unexpectedly, the fuchsia hippo grabbed Sly up in a bone-crushing hug. "I've missed ya buddy!"

"I've missed you too," Sly choked out with a weak laugh. "But I suddenly miss breathing air too, which…I kinda ne-ed."

Realizing his show of brotherly love was constricting Sly's air supply, Murray quickly let go with a sheepish smile. "Whoops. Sorry."

Sly grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "It's good to see you pal, it's been way too long."

"Tell me about it!" Murray agreed.

"Uh guys, we can talk on the way, we really need to get going," a nasally voice from the back seat spoke up.

As Murray stomped the gas pedal, heading for the museum, Sly leaped into the backseat, slipping an arm around Bentley's neck and pulling the brim of his hat over the reptile's eyes, which caused his glasses to sit crooked over his eyes. "How's my favorite brainiac been?" Sly asked him.

"Easy!" Bentley protested, pushing his hand away. "This is my favorite pair of glasses!" He readjusted his tan safari hat and his glasses, smiling up at his lifelong friend. "I've been pretty swell, can't complain. Just enjoying married life with Penelope."

Sly leaned back and stretched. "Yea, speaking of Penelope, where is she? And Tabby?"

Bentley tapped away on his laptop, managing several files on screen at once while he spoke to his friend. "Penelope and Tabby are circling the inner city limits in a helicopter they hijacked earlier this evening. This way they can inform us of any guards patrolling the outer perimeter of the Le Havre Museum that may be a hindrance to our mission here."

Sly stared back at him in surprise. "Those two hijacked a plane?"

"Helicopter," Bentley corrected flatly. "And yes, they stowed away in the cargo bay of one of the larger ones, and once they were at a decent altitude, Tabby took the officers out while Penelope manned the controls."

His eyebrows in perfect raised arches over his caramel eyes, Sly folded his arms across his chest. "Wow, that's pretty impressive."

"Never underestimate 'The Tabby'!" Murray shouted from the driver's seat as he took a sharp turn and veered down another dark road on the outskirts of the city. "She can always handle herself in a fight."

Chuckling, Sly asked, "And how have you two been, Murray? You and Tabby considering getting married anytime soon?" He wiggled his eyebrows as he picked on his robust friend.

The mere mention of marriage caused the hippo's cheeks to fill with a bright hue of red. He smiled and shook his head, his gaze focused on the road ahead. "Nah, still not sure we're ready for that next big step yet. But we're both happy you guys are enjoying married life."

"No rush on that big guy," Sly assured him. "Still, I can't wait 'til the day comes for ya. More than that, I can't wait for you guys to have kids of your own."

With a lighthearted snort, Bentley glanced over at Sly. "I take it you've been thoroughly enjoying your extended vacation with Carmelita and your children then?"

Sly kicked his feet up and placed his hands behind his head as he replied, "Bent, it's been amazing. I tell ya, I'll be honest and say I wasn't totally sure about the whole parenting business at first, and it has its days where things get hectic and messy. And they don't always do what they're told, which makes things even harder. There's good days and there's bad ones too. But it's been one of the best adventures of my life. I mean, that smile on their face when they see you, looking all excited while they run up to you and reach out for you to hold 'em…there's just no other feeling like it guys. And Carm is such a great mom. Seeing her play with the kids and teach them things and just love them in general never ceases to brighten my day."

A loud beeping sounded just as Sly was finishing his sentence. And a window popped up on Bentley's laptop screen. His lips curled up in a smile as he clicked it. "Speaking of women who brighten up our days..." he trailed off.

Another window popped up. This one displayed a live video feed, showing Penelope in the cockpit of an Interpol helicopter. The blonde mouse flipped several switches on the panel as she spoke into her headset.

"Copy that, IFR, this is Sierra Charlie four two five one three, approaching sector seven at five hundred feet, over." She reached up and clicked a button on her headset, smiling at the screen to her left that displayed Bentley's face. "Hey hon!" she chirped in a singsong voice, waving. "Just giving a mandatory report to the control tower. What's your status?"

"We're about five miles away from the museum, if Murray maintains the speed he's currently driving at, we should be there in a matter of minutes," the turtle informed her.

She nodded as she checked the readings displayed on the radar on the control panel. "Roger that, tracking you on the grid now." She scanned the radar swiftly, disregarding other blips she's already identified as other helicopters on patrol. She tapped the screen, zooming in on the moving blip on the yellow screen farther down than the rest. "Aha, there you are! Alright, did you give Sly his auditory tracking device?"

Sly looked over at Bentley in perplexity. "What'd she say?"

Bentley nodded. "Giving it to him now." Bentley reached down and picked up a small device, holding it in one palm. He handed it to Sly. "This is a modified earpiece. Two-way communication for us while you're performing the lift, and, as Penelope mentioned, it doubles as a tracking device, so we can help guide you to the room where the prism's held. Just a more efficient way of going about it."

During Bentley's explanation, Sly's eyebrows had gradually inched closer until they were knitted together tightly. "I thought you said this would be a _simple_ snatch a grab. This is sounding anything but simple at this point."

"It's incredibly simple. Your job is the simplest one of all in fact, but precautions are necessary Sly," Bentley insisted, while Penelope could be seen nodding on his computer screen in agreement on the video feed. "The Kairos Prism is under serious security surveillance. As I told you, it's an immensely powerful gem, which means it's valuable. So they're expecting the common crook to break in and try to swipe it."

"Well, we're not your common everyday crooks," Sly interjected.

Bentley raised a finger and pointed it at him. "You're correct in saying that. Which is why everything should go according to plan tonight."

"How's Tabby? She doin' ok up there?" Murray asked from the front seat.

"I'm fine," the warthog's voice chimed in. Penelope zoomed out so the curvy warthog sitting next to her at the panel could be seen by Sly and Bentley, who smiled and waved at her.

"How are ya Tabby?" Sly asked.

"Not too shabby," she answered with a smile, adjusting her headset. "Just helping Penelope monitor things and man the controls. Don't know much of anything about operating an aircraft. Trucks and cars, I'm your girl, but this is pretty new to me. I'm doing what I can to help though."

It almost made Sly laugh at how Murray small ears wiggled happily at the sound of her voice.

"Sounds great, we'll check in with you both again soon," said Bentley.

Both girls gave him a 'thumbs up' as Bentley clicked off of the video link.

* * *

When they arrived on the premises of the Le Havre Museum, Murray had pulled the van into another secluded alley. Before he'd even put it in park, Sly pushed the door open and leaped out, his tail swishing in excitement. He reached up, gripping the brim of his hat and pulling it down further.

Bentley peered out the window. "Alright we'll see you inside…well, so to speak, you know, because we can track your position from the van. We won't technically, you know, _see_ you, but…ah you get what I mean."

Chuckling and shaking his head, Sly replied, "Yea pal, I get what you mean, I'll be back in no time. This'll be a snap."

Sly ran over to the wrought iron fence that surrounded the outside of the upscale museum. He stealthily climbed up, hopping over to the other side, landing in an agile roll. Once he got to his feet again, he silently crept through the grass, dodging beams from spotlights overhead. With direction from his reptilian friend who had schematics of the museum on file, which came as no surprise to the thief, he quickly located an air vent on the right wall. He knelt down, carefully unscrewing each screw on the grille with the end of his cane. When the grille was finally rid of all four screws, he pried it loose and tossed it to the side, quickly crawling in and shimmying down the duct.

He army crawled all the way down, following the path the duct made to the other side, finding himself in a narrow corridor of the museum's interior, its walls lined with elaborate paintings of many differing sizes. The first thing to come to his mind was the possibility of security cameras spotting him. So he quickly ducked into an alcove that housed a bronze vase that nearly matched his height. He hid behind it, concealing himself, silently peaking over the top, keen eyes darting left and right. He waited for the usual security guards to make their rounds in this particular corridor of the museum, but the longer he waited, the more suspicious he grew. Knowing he had nowhere else to hide in a passageway like this one he did the only thing he knew he could: he made a run for it, hoping no guards that could've been patrolling in this particular section to catch sight of him.

Luck seemed to be on his side as he reached the end of the corridor, coming up on the doorway to a massive exhibit housing a plethora of Egyptian artifacts. Using his cane, he swung upward along the rung of a light fixture bolted to the wall. Hanging from it while holding his cane with both hands, he swung his whole body back and forth. When he had enough momentum, he let go, flipping upward, grabbing onto the railing of the second story balcony that overlooked the exhibit, and hoisted himself up and over. With a running start, he leaped over the railing, grabbing hold of one of the ceiling lamps. He pulled out his binocucom, looking into the eyepieces. "Ok Bent, I'm in the Egyptian exhibit, I think. Which way now?"

There was a short pause as Sly listened to the _tap-tap_ of fingers on keys. Then the turtle spoke up. "Ok, you'll need to take the hallway on your left and follow it around until you reach the entomology exhibit—"

"The what?" Sly interrupted.

"The bug exhibit, the room full of bugs."

A grimace quickly formed on Sly's muzzle. "_Gross_…"

"Yea yea, moving on," Bentley continued. "So, once you're past the insect exhibit, keep straight on that next hallway until you reach the exhibit that showcases sculptures. Once past it, there should be a staircase to your right, take it, and I'll guide you to the room the prism's in from there."

Sly nodded. "On my way." He stashed the binocucom back in his red pack and headed for the insect exhibit.

He snuck through the many rooms, hiding from patrolling guards that happened to walk through while on duty. He tiptoed past all the treasures and relics on display, walking past cases of ancient potteries, weapons and artifacts from centuries past, silently wondering to himself how much one of the treasures would be worth if he could snag one and sell it on ThiefNet.

But he had a job to do and couldn't be distracted with that right now. He quietly crept into the sculpture exhibit, scanning the room before him for another place to hide before another guard walked in.

The alarm horns sounded in deafening screeches before his mind could even attempt to form another coherent thought, the screeches and wails causing Sly to cringe. He shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth and clamping his palms over his sensitive ears. "What the—!"

"Sly!" Bentley's voice sounded in his ear. "Something must be malfunctioning with the tracking device. The screen shows you in the northwest wing, on the lower level still, but that can't be right, since the alarm's been set off, which is wired to trip when the prism is removed. And I know that since I've studied the security system there beforehand. But no matter, just take it and get outta there as quickly as you can."

"Bentley…I haven't even reached the stairs yet!"

"_What?_ That…I don't understand…" the turtle trailed off, mild panic in his tone.

"I don't either!" Sly yelled over the loud wails of alarm sirens. "But I'm on my way right now to see what's up!"

"Al-alright," the turtle stammered. "Just…just be extra careful!"

"Always," Sly answered as he darted down the hall. He broke into a full-on run, his legs pumping like a track star entering the final stretch. He whipped around the corner and bounded up the stairs two at a time. Now on the museum's upper level, he raced down a hall flanked with numerous doorways, his head darting left and right. He had just gotten about halfway when he skidded to a halt, his mouth falling open in sheer disbelief. In the center of the room stood a small pedestal, and what remained of the glass case it once supported. There were jagged shards of glass scattered along the floor beneath the pedestal.

He rushed up to the pedestal, fearing he already knew what was once in the case. His suspicions were confirmed, when he read the description engraved on a portion of the pedestal that read _Kairos Prism_, followed by a brief paragraph of text.

"No!" Sly whispered in exasperation. "It's gone..."

His ears suddenly perked up at the faint sound of footsteps against the slick marble floor. Without even thinking, he took off, following the trail of sound, desperately hoping to stop whoever had taken it before he'd had a chance to.

The echoing sound of footsteps led him to a dinosaur exhibit. He ran in and looked up just in time to see some sort of feline climbing up a rope, exiting through the open skylight on the ceiling.

And she just happened to have a shimmering gem in her hands.

"I don't think so," Sly hissed, glaring up at her. He ran up to the baryonyx skeleton in the center of the room, leaping up onto the tip of the tail. He ran along the spine of the skeleton, watching with wide eyes as the rope she had used to escape was being pulled up and out of sight through the skylight.

He couldn't let her get away with the prism. His window of opportunity smaller than ever, he jumped up, scrambling onto the baryonyx skull. He somersaulted off the dinosaur skull, sailing up, his cane raised up like a golf club, ready to swing and hook it to the skylight's cover handle.

But before he could reach it, something happened. He felt a foreign object blast into his side.

And the next thing his mind registered was pain.

He yelped out at feeling intense electric shock come in contact with his skin, momentarily paralyzing his muscles.

And then he was falling, dropping to the ground at an alarming rate. As he fell, thoughts bounced around in his mind all at once like ping pong balls. The most prominent one: he'd failed. He had one objective: to get the prism for Bentley, and he'd failed at doing that. Someone was making their escape with it at that very moment. Not only that, but the possibilities of who took it and more importantly, why they wanted it, was something they all had to worry about now.

It had all happened so fast.

Sly's body hit the museum's marble floor with harsh force. He gritted his teeth, now aware of the sharp pains radiating through his chest and hip. The fall jarred his entire frame, and at first he couldn't open his eyes, couldn't move at all really.

He just laid there, his jaw slack, one cheek pressed against the cool floor, which was soothing to him as his chin throbbed madly, and more pain surged through his chest and the hip he'd fallen onto.

A ragged grunt slipped out of his mouth and he placed a hand against the cold flooring. He struggled to regain strength in his shaky limbs and push himself up.

He wasn't expecting a forceful hand on his back to shove him down again. He met the floor once more with a light groan.

The next thing he felt caused his eyes to snap open.

Two fingers delicately walking up the length of his back. He felt the two appendages sliding along his shoulder blades, sending tingly sensations crawling along his spine.

He felt his captor's body being pressed up against his, their cold breath blowing against the fur on his neck.

Wait…_cold?_

He heard the snap of a glove being removed, and then he felt fingers swiftly sifting through the fur on the back of his head, just beneath his blue hat, the tufts of gray rising up on end the moment he felt fingernails slide against his skin.

His captor's actions were beginning to make him feel uneasy. That was when he knew it was time to make his escape. He slipped his arms onto the slick floor and pushed upward.

His entire body tensed up as a pair of small hands grabbed his wrists and pulled them together tightly. Then, to his horror, he heard the all too familiar _'clink-clink'_ of metal and felt handcuffs click locked around his wrists.

"Hmmm," a feminine voice hummed.

The raccoon's brows furrowing over his wide eyes, his breath caught in his throat as the pair of hands gripped his upper arms and carefully turned him over so he was now lying on his back, forced to stare into the crystal blue eyes of the Interpol officer who had so skillfully captured him, now able to get an ideal view of her.

Sitting astride the thief was a tall and slender arctic fox. Her thin body was adorned in a uniform that was unmistakably one an Interpol Inspector would wear, though despite it eerily reminding Sly of the very same outfit Carmelita used to sport years ago, it was slightly different.

The light tan leather jacket she wore over her leather bustier was a longer sort of coat that tied around her exposed, and very defined, torso.

He glanced down at the tight jeans and lace-up heeled combat boots she wore, reviving a strange collective sense of déjà vu within the thief.

Just above her cleavage, which was quite difficult to overlook, but could be with enough will-power, was her Interpol badge, placed around her neck by means of a light blue band which acted as a necklace. And cascading over her shoulders were glossy strawberry blonde curls that stopped just at her elbows.

Her blue eyes glowed in the light of the moon pouring through the skylight overhead, her coral pink lips still harboring a seductive smirk.

She leaned down, taking hold of the collar of his turtleneck and pulling him closer, staring him down and studying him as if he were a specimen under a microscope.

Her groomed eyebrows arching in satisfaction, she smiled at him. "Oh how the mighty have fallen," she said, speaking in a low voice that practically dripped with a sensual quality.

"Sly Cooper, I presume?" she asked, though she knew full well that was exactly who this raccoon was. "Descendant of the notorious procyonid Cooper lineage of master thieves."

His hands still cuffed behind his back, all he could do was stare at her with wide brown eyes, his mouth hanging open.

With a firm finger, she clamped his mouth shut, his two rows of teeth meeting and grinding together uncomfortably.

She pursed her lips and clicked her tongue against her teeth, the _'tsk-tsk-tsk'_ sound echoing in Sly's ears, taunting him. He would've become enraged at such a blatant form of mockery if it weren't for his state of utter shock he couldn't shake himself from.

Her head tilted to one side, she put a finger to her lips, curling her tail up and brushing the tip of it against her captive's muzzle.

Sly tensed up and shied away from the touch, glaring at the soft and bushy white furred tail, the end of it gently whipping back and forth along his nose. His teeth still gritted and his nose scrunched, he pulled away as best he could in the compromising position.

She leaned even closer, her nose inches from his, her blonde locks falling all around her vulpine face, and whispered to him, "Looks like someone's been caught."

* * *

_Uh-oh…_

_More to come soon you guys! Thanks so much for reading!_


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